Did this month go away so fast? I feel I haven’t been much away from the blog as such. I stayed almost four weeks back home, but it just felt as though days flew by. We had a little flood threat this time through but Alhamdulillah, it was fine on our side, though there were areas like Nilambur and Wayanad that were badly affected by the heavy rains and mud slides. The unexpected mud slides caused very heartbreaking deaths in those areas. Apart from the heavy rains, the climate was otherwise pleasant. I slept quite well throughout the days, since it was nice and cozy. I had a few doctor visits to make, and to top it all, was the splint that got placed inside my mouth due to my TMJ problem. It feels very odd and I have to be on a soft diet for one month, the…
Safed Maas ~ Rajasthani White Mutton Stew
This month too, I am participating in the Shh Cooking Secretly Challenge. Our state of the month is the largest state of India, Rajasthan, which is located in the northern side. It is home to largest desert in India, as well as many historical monuments and a rich culture. The name of the state when literally translated means “the land of kings” and if you have a look at the history of the state, it surely stays truthful to its name! The state has a robust tourism industry and is a place that is usually on the top end list for destination weddings – the recent famous one being Priyanka Chopra and Nick Jonas, due to the presence of many castles fit for movies. The Jaisalmer Chana and the Panchmel Dal are the Rajasthani recipes already on the blog. The beauty of the cuisine of this state is due…
Murg Malaiwala | Creamy Chicken Curry
I had already marked up in my mind that if the state for this month’s Shh Cooking Secretly Challenge would be Punjab, I would make it a point to participate. Why not? The food of Punjab is always said to be rich, warm and welcoming. Whether it is the Butter Chicken, Palak Paneer or Dal Tadka, every dish evokes a lot of gastronomic feel in anybody who eats it. As soon as the announcement was up and I waited patiently for my assigned partner. Punjab is a beautiful state in the north that is mainly known for their agricultural prowess. The word “Punjab” means, “five rivers”, signifying the five rivers that run through the state. The state has gone through a lot during historical times and now part of it lies in Pakistan. Punjab shares its capital Chandigarh with its neighboring state Haryana. The food of the state…
Be My Guest – Anday Cholay Ka Saalan
Back with another guest post this year… 🙂 Just like I perused Usha for a guest post from last year, Maria was another blogger I have been behind for a guest post for the blog. Do I sound like a stalker? I don’t think I am. Maybe I am nice, well mannered stalker. 😉 Maria is the blogger behind “Foodaholic“. I love her blog for the simple fact that she shares simple Pakistani dishes. I love Pakistani food and have tried a few recipes by myself, though I would like to cook more of it in the coming future, InShaAllah. Her recipes are easy to follow and her pictures are very comforting. There are so many dishes that I have already bookmarked from her blog, like the Dhwan Dahi Ghosht, Pakistani Fish Karahi (to be made after my girls go on vacation this month end 😉 ) and Suji…
Capsicum Zunka | Shimla Mirch Sabzi
For this week’s Blogging Marathon #101 theme “Cooking with Besan”, after a lot of thought, I decided to make this dish, that has been in my mind for quite some time. Zunka is a dry dish with besan, made on its own or including vegetables, and is a part of the cuisine in Maharashtra and some northern states. I didn’t want to make a gravy on its own, because I was vary of the interest of my folks. So I ended up making it with capsicum. Capsicum is a vegetable that I have been eating almost everyday ever since I have cleaned up my diet. Not that I am diligently sticking to it and being a saint on a daily basis, but if I don’t eat at least a vegetable a day, I feel as though I am missing something. I have become this from a person who…
Kashmiri Chicken
We are having a long week ahead of us. Government offices and schools are already closed from Thursday on account of Eid holidays, and the private sector gets their holidays from tomorrow. So we basically have a one day working week, which sounds like fun. 🙂 The only problem is when we come back to work next Sunday, our emails may be a barrage to be sorted out. But I guess when you get a long holiday, you shouldn’t be bothered about work. We hardly get long weekends here, so this is definitely welcome. The climate is not very conducive for outdoors so we may stick to being at home, mostly. I really wanted to visit my best friend who is in Muscat on visit, but then His plans are otherwise and I just have to be reconciled with the situation, Alhamdulillah. After all, if everything happened exactly…
Meen Kakkathil ~ Malabar Thick Fish Curry
This is one book review I have been wanting to work on ever since my hands landed up on the book. There is a special reason for it. Ummi Abdullah is considered to be the all-in-all of Malabar cooking. My first tryst with her was when I ordered “Malabar Muslim Cookbook” online years back and ever since it has been like a bible for me. The book was particularly helpful in giving measurements when umma couldn’t give it. I hope you get what I mean… 🙂 A lot of the Malabar recipes on the blog have been referred to the book . So when I saw an announcement on her FB page inviting people for trying the recipes for her new cookbook, I pounced onto it. In fact I saw the post quite late that I didn’t get a chance to try recipes that I would have loved…
Payyoli Kozhi Curry | Chicken Curry
Can you believe Ramadan is right there at the corner? Sometimes it feels it came way too fast, but I can’t help it but say that it has come at a time when it is needed. I feel like I have a terribly parched soul, just struggling to get in terms with everything that is happening. For surely, this month comes like a relief at the right time. For me, Ramadan is like a breath of fresh air. A change in routine, a more balanced life, a peaceful thought process, a new hope… It literally recharges all the dying batteries within you. I am sure that feeling comes because the devils are chained during this precious month. There is no one but ourselves to beat when they are off our head. It takes some time to realize that there is a lot of inbuilt evil within ourselves, when…
Be My Guest – Chepala Pulusu/ Andhra Fish Curry
As I was scheduling the last laddoo post, I was in for a surprise. For the Recipe Swap, I was assigned Usha’s blog, and the same blogger is gracing my space this month as the guest! What a lovely coincidence! 🙂 I have been harassing Usha (if that’s an apt word!) for a guest post since months now. Somehow I didn’t feel like leaving her alone. Finally she is on my blog… 🙂 I started interacting with Usha when I joined the Blogging Marathon. We may not have participated in too many mutual weeks, but I totally love her blog. It has lovely clicks and some very simple recipes, captured in a very attractive manner. I have already written about her blog in my last post, so I won’t be mentioning more. 🙂 I guess this is my first fish recipe provided by a guest to my blog….
Besan Aloo Mirchi ki Sabzi | Potato Capsicum Curry
I wish I didn’t have to crib. Everyday I have a tough time trying to decide what to cook for dinner. I seem to find that it is getting tougher as the girls grow up. When I started blogging, they were small so they would eat anything that was given to them. But now, they frown and scorn for anything that I make, except pizzas. 😕 Being a mother, this is totally frustrating. With a totally tight schedule these days, I look forward to cooking meals that get done in 30 minutes. Rasha loathes eggs and any dal curry, while Azza is indifferent towards chicken and meat – I wonder if there are kids like that these days! Vegetables are an even big no-no, except for a cucumber daily. My girls don’t even like whole lentils or potatoes. Sometimes, I feel so lost… but then I pull out my…
Easy Palak Paneer
I owe this Palak Paneer recipe to Huma. She shared this recipe with me before she posted it on her blog and made me fall for it head over heels. I never liked making palak paneer before. If you see most of the recipes online, they involve a lot of steps. It makes you feel like making this humble dish is such a pain. But this recipe changed my whole thought process. This recipe is the second one to feature in this week’s theme of “Cooking for 2” in the Blogging Marathon #98. Paneer is something I have been eating every single day since last January, as a part of my protein intake. It is something that we Keralites never eat. I have already mentioned before on the blog that my family shares a mixed relationship with this ingredient. So I don’t cook it frequently. But for myself,…
Macher Jhol ~ Bengali Fish Potato Curry
Some recipes have a very strange way of getting into your head. Just like this peculiar Bengali delicacy of a fish curry called “Macher Jhol”. Once upon a time, this You Tube video was shared on somebody’s FB wall and I ended up watching it. I usually don’t watch any videos unless something piques me and I really don’t know what was it in this video. As soon as I heard it, it would continuously sing in my head, and I am sure if you hear it for one time, the “Macher Jhoool” that she sings will echo in your ears and head every time! To get rid of that echo, I had to make this curry after making my batch of Panch Phoron. 😀 Fish and potatoes are a very unusual combination for us. We always add our potatoes to chicken or meat, but never fish. So…
Be My Guest – Thai Green Curry
Things have been moving at a much slower pace than I expected this year. But if you ask me how I feel about it, I feel absolutely fine. 🙂 My mind is relaxed because I am away from pressurizing myself unnecessary regarding the blog. I have finally learned to slow down, and it feels really good. When priorities change in life, you need to balance out so that you don’t tend to burn out yourself. It takes time to learn, but definitely not impossible… It’s been long since I have had a guest on the blog. I have not been inviting anybody as such too. Everybody is tied up with many things and sometimes even meeting time commitments becomes a pressure on them. So when I was wondering whether to give this series a stop, I receive an email from Spoorthy regarding the “Be My Guest” segment. I have…
Ishtu ~ Kerala Vegetable Stew
While I posted the Idiyappam/ Noolputtu recipe couple of months ago, I had hinted that I would post the Ishtu recipe too. It was peaking from behind, so it didn’t make sense to delay this post indefinitely. Hehe… After all the combination of these two is quite a hit… I always wonder why Ishtu is called so. I am sure it is the Malayalamized version of the English word “stew”. Can you see the connection? When umma would make this, I would always think that she is making fun of the name, but lately realized that she was saying its proper name. 😀 I guess we all would have thought of it that way some time in our life! Ishtu is basically a potato stew, made with minimal spices and coconut milk. It is very easy to make, but the spices added gives it such a delicious dimension. …
Malabar Avial/ Aviyal
It was a really happening weekend for me. The Sharjah Book Fair opened to the public over the weekend, and I went there on Friday and Saturday. The Friday agenda was to attend my dear blogger friend Faji’s book launch. Yes, she is finally an author of her own cookbook, Faji’s HotPot. I was anyway going, but in the afternoon, I was greeted by a message from her and her husband, insisting that I be the first purchase at the launch. I was totally overwhelmed but anyway, accepted it, thinking it would be fine. Least did I expect that I would be called to share stage and talk a few words! It did make me a nervous wreck altogether – I have a fear of public speaking, though I have been into it at school and college – feels like eons now! 😀 We had an amazing function, Fajee…